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Netherland by Joseph O'Neill

The title of Joseph O'Neill's third novel works on a number of levels. Most obviously, it suggests the birthplace of its narrator, Hans van den Broek, an analyst for a British bank on assignment in New York. But it also describes the desolate state of his marriage to Rachel, an English solicitor who decides to leave her husband and return to Britain in the chaotic days after 9/11. And then there is the patch of Brooklyn lowland where the unhappily single Hans comes to spend his weekends toiling with Chuck Ramkissoon, an immigrant entrepreneur who dreams of turning the weedy field into a world-class cricket pitch. Finally, there is the lowest land of all, the pit a few blocks from Hans's loft where the twin towers once stood.

The story opens soon after the attack. Hans, Rachel and their two-year-old son, Jake, have taken up residence in the Chelsea Hotel,